Exhalatory controller for inhalers



@to L H935. H. V. ocoNNELL Zfllz EXHALATORY CONTROLLER FOR INHALERS Filed May 9, 1954 Wala. ....-n 1l/lll INVENTOR WITN'ESSES jfaWoZcZ W, 'onzel wmv/750W BY Patented Oct. 1, 1935 AT-3N@ QFFIQE EXHALATORY CONTROLLER FOR INHALERS Harold V. OConnell, New York, N. Y. Application May 9, 1934, Serial No. 724,792

4 Claims.

This invention relates to exhalatory controllers for nasal inhalers and the like, and has for an object the provision of an exhalatory controller which will enable an anaesthetist more accu- ,5 rately to .determine and control the patients state of anaesthesia.

In -administering an anaesthetic, such as nitrous oxide, a small mask or hood, commonly known as an inhaler, suitably connected with anaesthetic and oxygen tanks, is placed over the nose of the patient. The patient, accordingly inhales the mixture of anaesthetic and oxygen which Vcomes from the tanks. The exhalant, however, escapes through an outlet passage or exhalatory formed in the inhaler, and provided with a one-way valve so as to permit gas to escape from the inhaler mask when a suilicient pressure exists in the mask, but preventing air and other outside gases from entering into the mask. Considerable diiiculty has been experienced by anaesthetists in administering anaesthetics in this manner, due to the fact that the patients state of anaesthesia can be most -accurately determined by the strength and rhythm of his respiration, and an inhaler mask muies the sound of the respiration rendering it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for the anaesthetist to observe it. The exhaling valves heretofore provided have also caused considerable difficulty in that they sometimes stick or jam and at other times permit leakage or back flow of air, and furthermore, they have not been subject to the sensitive and accurate adjustment necessary to properly control the patients state of anaesthesia.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an exhalatory controller having a sound producing chamber or Whistle operated by the exhalant passing through the controller so that the anaesthetist may at all times be aware of the strength and rhythm of the respiration, and provided with an improved valve which will not stick, jam, or permit leakage or back flow of air, and which may be sensitively adjusted so as to permit the anaesthetist to control more accurately the patients state of anaesthesia.

For a fuller understanding of the invention reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elev-ation of an exhalatory controller embodying features of my invention and illustrated as applied to an inhaler of conventional construction;

Fig. 2 is an elevation in section'of the exhalatory controller showing a portion of the inhaler mask to which it is applied, and

(Cl. 12S-140) Fig. 3 is a cross section taken in the direction of the yarrows on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawing, 4the improved exhalatory controller is illustrated as applied to an inhaler l of conventional design, comprising 5 a rubber mask or hood l2 designed to fit over a patients nose, resting on his upper lip and on the bridge and both sides of his nose, and having suitable connection with 4an anaesthetic supply, as by a pair of rubber tubes 3, only one of which 10 is shown, connected between the two sides of the mask and tanks of oxygen and a suitable anaesthetic, such as nitrous oxide. On the top of the mask is formed a ilat circular portion d having a central opening or outlet 5, which serves 15 as the exhalatory of the mask through which the exhalant escapes.

The exhalatory controller, indicated generally by the numeral has its lower end disposed in and secured around the edge of the opening 5, 20`

and is so formed as to permit the patient to exhale through the outlet and to prevent air and outside gases from entering into the mask through this outlet. The controller preferably comprises a sound producing member or whistle l, having 25 a gas duct or passage leading to a one-way valve 8, and a sensitive or micrometric adjuster 9 for varying the pressure exerted upon the valve 8 to normally keep it closed.

The whistle or sound producer l preferably 30 comprises a sound chamber formed between two separ-able members, so that it may be opened to be cleaned, one member being in the form of a convex circular cup it, provided with a central opening ll, and an externally-threaded periph- 35 eral rim or flange I2, which'engages an internallythreaded flange i3 formed on the other member It, the latter member comprising a flat circul-ar head on the end of an externally-threaded plug I5 having a central opening or passage I6 dis- 40 posed in registry with but spaced from the opening I I. The plug I5 engages an internallythreaded socket Il, which is formed centrally in a cylindrical boss i8 so as to provide a clamp between the member I4 and the boss to grip the 45 edge of the opening 5 when assembled as shown in the accompanying drawing.

The boss I3 has a cylindrical rim I9 at its upper end providing a valve seat for the valve 8 as will be later described, and having a central 50 opening or chamber Ztl communicating with the opening I6 formed in the plug I5 when the parts are assembled. Suitably supported on the boss I8, as by means of an internally-threaded rim 22 screwed on the externally-threaded shoulder 2| 55 Y of the boss, is a tapered metal guard 23 in which openings 24 are provided to permit the escape of gas, the guard being provided with an integral top portion 25 formed withV a threaded opening 26 which receives and supports the threaded end 21 of the micrometric adjuster 9. The adjuster 9 has a disk 28 provided with a knurled periphery and serving as a handle, formed at its upper end, and a tubular extension 29 at its lower end, ywhile a central opening 3!) extends through the member 9.

The valve stem 3| of the valve 8, which is provided at its lowerend with a tapered valve bodyV 32 having a recessed or concave back 33, extends through and is supported for shift movement in the opening 3Q of the member 9. The valve is so disposed as to have limited axial shift movement, the valve-body being shiftable into and out of engagement with its valve seat 34 comprising the upper end of the cylindrical flange I9. A coil spring 35 is disposed around the valve stern 3| and extends between the valve body 32 and the lower end of the threaded portion 2l of the adjuster 9. The tension of the spring 35 is such as to normally urge the valve body 32 into contact with its valve seat 3d, The tension may be varied, however, by merely turning the knurled handle 28 of the adjuster 9; thus' when the disk 28 is turned in a clockwise direction as far as it will turn the valve will be held closed regardless of the pressure inside the mask and by. turning the disk in a counter-clockwise direction the tension of the spring is gradually reduced until it exerts no pressure whatsoever on the valve. To enable the operator to determine the adjustment of the spring, horizontal circumferential lines 36 may be drawn around the upper end of the valve stem 3 I, bearing suitable indicia, such as O to indicate open, H to indicate half closed, and C to indicate closed.

The device may be applied to an inhaler, as shown, by placing the boss I8 on the outer surface of the inhaler so that the receptacle I1 is disposed above the opening 5. The plug l is then inserted from the inside of the inhaler through the opening 5, into the receptacle I1 and screwed tightly in place, the sides of the opening 5 being firmly gripped between the member I4 and the boss i8, so that in operation no gas can escape from the inside of the inhaler except through the aperture Il formed in the convex cup le. When 'the patient exhales, the exhalant passes through the aperture Il and thence through the sound chamber 'I and the passageway I6, making an audible whistling noise. The pressure of the exhaled gas when it'reaches the chamber 20, forces the tapered valve body 32 upward against the resistance of the spring 35, permitting the gas to escape. `The anaesthetist can determine the state of anaesthesia by the vided on the controller.

strength and rythym of the audible Vwhistling noise produced when the patient exhales, and he can more accurately control the patients condition by means of the micrometric adjuster pro- I claim: c

1. An exhalatoiy controller for inhalers comprising, in combination, a plug formed with a sound chamber at one end and a passage extending through said plug and communicating with said sound chamber, a member provided with a receptacle for receiving said plug and being formed with a 'chamber communicating with the passage in said plug and with a valve seat atthe end of said chamber, a guard member mounted on said last-named member, a pressure operated valve supported by said guard member and shiftable into and out of engagement with said valve seat, and adjustable means for normally urging said valve into engagement with said valve seat.

2. An exhalatory controller for inhalers comprising, in combination, a plug formed with a sound chamber at one end and a passage extending through said plug and communicating with said sound chamber, a member provided with a receptacle for receiving said plug and being formed with a chamber communicating with the passage in said plug and with a valve seat at the end of said chamber, a

guard member mounted on said last-named 30.

member, an adjustable member provided with a central opening and mounted on said guard member, a valve provided with a valve stem passing through and supported by the central opening in said adjustable member and with a tapered valve body shiftable into and out of engagement with said valve seat, and a spring disposed around said valve stem and extending between said valve body and said adjustable member so as to normally urge said valve into engagement with said 40 valve seat.

3. An inhaler for administering anaesthetics comprising a mask to enclose and t over the nose of the patient, means for admitting Yan Aanaesthetic to said mask, an opening in said 45,5

mask, a valve controlling said opening to permit exhalations but prevent inhalations therethrough, and an audible signal operated by the exhalations of the patient.

4. An inhaler for administering anaesthetics comprising a mask to t over the nose of the patient, means for admitting an anaesthetc toV said mask, an opening in said mask, a valvecontro-lling said opening to permit exhalations but prevent inhalations therethrough, an audible signal operated by the exhalations of the patient, and means to adjust said Vvalve in accordance with the character of the exhalations as indicated by the audible signal.

HAROLD v. OCONNELL. 60, 

